I TO THE EDITOR OF THE COURIER. SIR, I nsäiune, as well-established principles, that a Govern- ment should set an example of liberality and fair dealing, avoid every nppcarance of questionable morals, and lostcr in every legitimate wnv the interests of its stitijccfs; that it should never by a huckstering policy, not reputable in a mercantile establishment, change the order of its dealings, and by skilful matinaivrc, so trim them to changing circum- stances, as in every case to derive advantage to itself. From the weight and influence of government, and from the extent of its transactions, such an advantage, to say the least, appears an unfair advantage, and consequently an unfair disadvantage to the other party in the contract-be t.'iey who they may. But when that parly is a portion of "its own subjects-lind when in the matter I am about to refer to, the most important portion-upon the success of whose pursuits throughout the world mankind depend for happiness and life, viz., agric...

Ej)c Cijunu\ THURSDAY EVENING. AUGUST 27, 1840. THE nearer becomes tho approach of free institutions, the greater is our dread. When they were in the distance and appeared altogether oat of reach, we toiled and fretted, as it appeared to us in vain, until wearied with continual ela mour we began at last quietly to acquiesce in our forlorn doom. Like the children of Israel, who hung up their harps and sat weeping by the waters of Babel, we suspended the notes of agitation and gazed upon the Derwent with as little hope of free institutions or representative government, as we might have of the river before üs flowing away and leaving its channel dry. Time progressed, and with it came a new order of things. A spirit of regeneration ap- peared suddenly to affect us, and we were startled from our propriety hy new-fangled schemes of prison-discipline. These «vere propounded under the specious show of reforming the social as «veil as penal character of the colony. Our prison laws «vero repr...

GAZETTE. GOVERNMENT NOTICE, No. 217, Colonial Spcretary's Office, August l8. The Lieutenant. Governor lins been pleased to appoint Mr. William Jcmott to be Inspector of Stock in the Distiict of Campbell Town. By His Excellency's command, M. FORSTER. (GOVERNMENT NOTICE, No. 218, Colonial ~W Secretary's Office, August 17. The Lieutenant-Governor has been pleased to appoint Mr. Albert Carpenter to be Town Surveyor at New Norfolk, vice Mr. Brooks, resigned. His Excellency has also been pleased to appoint Mr. Carpenter to be Inspector of Weights and Measures in the same District, vice Mr. Brooks. By His Excellency's command, M. FORSTER. Police Office, Bothwell, August 13. NOTICE is hereby given, that a keg containing about four gallons of Wine (more or less) will be sold by me at the Police-office, on Saturday, the 5th day of Sep- tember, 1840, at 12 o'clock at noon ; the same having been seized and condemned under the provisions of the Permit Act. W. S. TURNER, Chief District Constable....

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. SATURDAY, AUGUST 22. Unman Catholic Petition. The Chief Justice, in pursuance of tim notice of motion he had gi*en, now moved that the order for hearing counsel in favour of the Catholic petition, be discharged. He grounded his motion on two distinct reasons-first, that no vested rights were at slake, whether of ti private or u corporate nature, and therefore, if we were at all to be guided by Par- liamentary precedent, the hearing of counsel was altogether inadmissible. Such a proceeding had ' never been thought of where any public question was under dismission-it was never heard of on the occa- sion of the Cutholic Belief Bill, nor more recently in the instance of the Nutioual System of Educulion, nur indeed ¡nany case where there was nota depriva- tion of individual or corporate right. To revert to this Council, lhere was no authority whatever for conceding the prayer of the petition, or that counsel should be heard in their favour. Hut there was another and ...

TO THE EDITOR OF THE COURIER. \ Stn, Is it wiso-is it politic in a Government to revive a practice which has long since been discontinued-that of insisting upon the public giving to the Commissariat 64 lbs. weight of wheat, instead of (¡01 bs., a custom' which has long since been established tbiougbout the colony by common consent ? When the fine alluvial soils of this island wcie first broken up, there is no doubt but that a bushel of wheat weighed C4 lbs. ; noir, however, COIbs. is the fuir average weight, and consequently no buyers look for more ; and that the Government should be the first to break through so equitable an arrangement is matter of astonishment throughout the interior. For my part* I must say, it is a miserable shopkeeping way of doing business. Far better would it have been had the Govern- ment, instead of altering the weight, offered at once nine shillings and Mipencc for every COIbs-for after all, that is the sum and substance of the tender. That would have bee...

ENGLISH. HOUSE OE COMMONS, MAY 1. Tun MAINE QIILSTIOM. Lord J. Russell, in reply to Mr. Hume, said tlmt tim general question of the Maine boundary was in ihis state:-Kii^lantl bud proposed tu the United States, and received a counter proposal, before answering which it was necessary to receive the report of the gentlemen who had surveyed the disputed country, and ibis arrived only a few days ago. It was now under the consideration of government, and an answer would be immediiitely forwarded to the United Status. It was unfortunate that the agreement of last your, and that of Sir J. Harvey, with General Scott, should he the subject of objections and differences between the countries. The ngieemcnt proposed by General Scoff, and agreed to by the Governor of Maine, was, that Great Britain should hold the valley of Upper St. John, and Maine that of the Aroostook, without it being conceded that the right was in either. Un- fortunately the agreement did not state the exact posi- tion in w...

FINANCE MINUTE FOR 1841. | Council Cliamber, 17ih Angust, 1840. GENTLEMEN, IN laying the Estimates for the year 1841 upon the Table, I shall, previously to explaining the difference between them and those for the current year, shortly review the Revenue and Expenditure of 1839, as compared with 1838. You will, by referring to my Minute of the 8th June, 1839, find that the actual Revenue for 1838 (including a loan of £10,000 from the Military Chest) was £136,206 6s. 4d. The probable Revenue of 1839 was estimated at £116,707. The actual Revenue of 1839 was £149,906 2s. lid., showing an increase over that of the previous year of £23,699 16s. 7d., of which £9258 18s. 9£d. arose from sources of " Ordinary" Revenue. The sum voted for 1839 was £115,581 8s. lid. including a supplementary vote of £3810 14s. 8d., which was granted to defray certain expenses incurred for the treatment of Pauper Invalids in the several Hospitals of the Colony. The actual Expenditure of 1839 was £135,109 10s. li...

THE GAZETTE. FRIDAY JOINING,-AUGUST og, igjrj. Office of Public Works, Augwtt.So. TEÑDKRS will be received at this office until the 15th day of September next, at twelve o'clock e.st , for the erection of a Parsonage, House for the ¡Minister of Trinity Church, IIuhartTown. Dans and specifications may be inspected at this office. ALEXANDER CHEYNE, _Director ot Public Works. Mounted Police Office, August 27. T11F.NDH.RS will be received by the Officer com I. manding the Mounted Police, until the 25th proximo, for the supply of l'orage for six months, com ntencing the 1st October, 1840, and terminating the 31st March, 1841, at the following stations : " Hobart Town, Richmond, Green Ponds, Oatlands. Campbell Town, Snake Banks, Morven, Westbury, and Avoca. The Tender« to state the price per Ration, consisting of Hay, 121bs , Oats, Slits , Bran, 4lbs., Straw, 41 bs -G. BAGOT. Lieut. Commanding Mounted Police. | Mounted Police Office, August '27. TENDERS will he received by the Officer com...

First Sblp for fcondon. THE fine bark Emu, A 1, 381 tons burthen, W. N. Howard, com- mander, having all her dead weight on _ the Wharf, and a large portion of her wool engaged, will be quickly despatched. For freight or passage, having very superior accommo- dation«, applv to the commander on board, or to XVILLIS, GARRETT, &amp; Co. New Wharf, August 16. For London. IHE very fine fast sailing A 1 BTÎ _ tish-built bark Mary Hay, A. D. Volum, commander, is now loading, and i will be despatched for the above port the (JrlîTneek in October, having all her cargo ready for ihipmont. For passage only, having very superior cabin accommo- dations, apply to the ¡Captain on board ; AsLin Morrison, Esq. ¡ or KERR, ALEXANDER, &amp; Co. Kew Wharf, August 21. For Sydney. THE first class ship Eamont, 300 tons, will sail on Tuesday, 1st September next, nearly all her cargo | bung engaged. Early application is necessary ; for freight or passage, > apply to Captain Joshua Walker on board, o...

The Courier &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; FRIDAY EVENING. AUGUST 28,1840. WE submit to our readers this week the Finance Minute, read by His Excellency in Council. From this it will be seen, that the .increase in the Ordinary Revenue of 1839 amounis to £9,258 over and above that of 1838, end-that taken altogether it exceeds the increase of that year by £23,699. Out of this £10,000 was repaid to the military chest ; also the sum of " £3,810 14s. 8(1., incurred in the treatment of free pauper invalids, which, considering the esta- blishments in .existence, and the large donations of private charity, appears to us a very serious amount ; and it becomes matter of moment, whether it would not be more advisable at once to found an Hospital upon an extensive scale, where good accommodation might be afforded to all, than year after year to ask for so great a turn of money, at the same time that complaints are rung in our /ear» of the crowded and unwholesome state of the Hospitals in any per...

Observe. TIO be Let or for Sale, (bat old-established Public i House, in Collins street, kiio»u a* the ' Help me through the World ;* » ill vither%e let ou lea«; or sold on moderate terms. Appbcatiou to be made to the under- signed, 85, EUjubetb-sircet, August li}. T. H*aeom.«. SALES BY AÜGTZOSr. Brig » Porter.' W. T. MACMICHAEL Will have the honour to Sell by Public Auction, on the New Wharf. To-Morrow, the 29th instant, at 12 for I o'clock precisely, rjIHE Ung PORTER. The above well-known I vessel was limit in Liverpool, by Messrs. Bland and Chnloner. under the inspection of the present owner, i She is 2.52 tons, old register, is entirely fastened with iron knees and screw bolts, which are now in the best possible condition ; has iron caps, trusses panels, chain top sail mid top-gallant .'.heets and ties, and is fitted with all the improvements of the present day. She had ri thorough overhaul, and was renewed in Lloyd's book before leaving Liverpool, at which time near eight hundr...

SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Loss of THE 'MARIA,' AND MASSACRE OF PART OF &amp;nbsp; HER CREW AND PASSENGERS It is now our melancholy duty to set the public anxiety at rest with regard to the shipwreck on the southern coast, which has been the absorbing topic for the last fortnight. The week before last we ventured an opinion that the &amp;nbsp; vessel reported to be lost was the Maria brigantine, of Hobart Town, bound from Port Adelaide to that place. The facts which have come to light during the last two or &amp;nbsp; three days have proved that the opinion we then expressed was but too correct. The vessel lost is the Maria. This fact has been ascertained by means of the rings found on the fingers of the bodies of the two females, and brought to Adelaide by Mr. Pullen. These have been identified by the relatives of the deceased as having belonged to Mrs. Denham and Mrs. York, both of whom were passengers by the Maria. The whole of the passengers by the vessel were :—Mr. and Mrs. D...

Coe Commissariat COMMISSARIAT OFFICE, Hoart ?&amp;*» August 12, 1840. """>. WHEAT. Notice is hereby given, that the Commisarlat Stor«, at Hobart Town and Launceston will be open for limited time, and until farther notice, to »ceive c]( ' Colonial Wheat of the best quality, at thi rate of (J shillings per bushel of 64lbs. Payment will be made on delivery, eithcin Cash or Treasury Bills at the usual premium. GEORGE MACLEAN A.C.6. Supplies for the Royal Navy. COMMISSARIAT OFFICE, Holm To*» September 2, 1840. ' Required for the service of the royal navy, th folio»;,,, provisions, vu: 3,4001 hs. colonial corned beef, warranted to cop gooj for six months. 8,G001bs. colonial salted beef, warranted to ccp good for 2} year». The meat must be of the best quality, free fom thins leg bones, hearts, or necks, and to be packet m caslj containing each 88 eight pound pieces, and to he Kadr for delivery into the Commissariat Stores iniix*^ from this date. The meat will be subjected to the usu...

I TO THE EDITOR OF THE COURIER. j Silt, I have read your account of the proceedings in the Legislative Council on Hie presentation of the Petition from the Catholics against the new College, with ex- treme surprise. You say that Hiern was " a general commotion"-thal member rose after member, to denounce the petition with the utmost vehemence ; and you report that one member said, that he little expected such a document from such a quarter. Why, Iel me ask,all this anger? Have the Roman Catholics been false to (heir Church ? May (hey not avail them- selves of the sacred right of petition for the main- tenance mid defence of its principles? In what instance do (ho sentiments of that Petition vary from the views and acts of the Church of Rome towards Protestants? Whoever expected Catholics to give any other description of our versiun of til« Scriptures than the Petition contains ; whoever thought that they could join in prayers with Protestants without the sin of schism, without rebell...

THIS MORNING'S POST. (From the Launceston Advertiser,) LAUNCESTON CORN MARKET. Wednesday, September 2.-A few loads of wheat found their way into town to-day in fulfilment of former pur- chases. Prices remain without alteration. Union Steam Mills. Wheat Ils to 13s, harley Os to 10s. oats 5s Gd to Gs, pollard Is 9d, bran Is Gd, per bushel; flour, first quality, £M, second £32, ration .£28, per 20001bs.

LOCAL. I FORGERY.-During the week, forged bills to a considerable extent have been detected. The offender is the well known Mr. Savery. Report states that he has fled via Launceston, and shipped himself for Adelaide. QUARTER SESSIONS.-These sessions were formally opened on Mondav last, aria ^adjourned till the 2ßth instant. SALE OP STOCK.-On Wednesday last, Mr. T. Y. Lowes submitted to the hammer, at Mawle's Yards, Bagdad, some choice stock, the property of Dr. Desailly. Horses realized most excellent prices. A plough mare, in foal to Matchem, brought £126. A black horse, Tom Thumb, i-rf-J, and many others in like proportion. Bul- locks sold at from £25 to £31 per pair. The sheep produced were not in good condition. A small lot of 264 maiden ewes went off at 14?. Gd. per head. The wethers sold at 11s. 3d. to £1 3s. The sale was remarkably well attended. Vehicles of all kinds, equestrians and pedestrians, flocked from all quarters, and Mawle's Yards presented the lively and animated ...